Not an easy moment for the Mexican striker: the goal has been missing for a few games, but he is not the problem.
Santiago Gimenez, il digiuno continua: è vittima di un grande problema del Milan (LaPresse) – MilanLive.it
Milan defeated Como at San Siro on Saturday and also had Tammy Abraham to thank, author of the fantastic assist to Tijjani Reijnders for the winning goal. The former Chelsea man took over at 68′ and was able to make an impact, something Santiago Gimenez had failed to do.
The former Feyenoord touched 18 balls, with 0 shots on goal and 0 shots off, only one shot attempt rejected. Expected goals (xG) of 0.06. He tried 4 times to dribble an opponent and only succeeded in one dribble, 2 duels won out of 7 he had during his time on the field. Definitely negative numbers for the Rossoneri 7, who in general is not going through a particularly happy period.
Gimenez importante per il Milan, gioco da migliorare
Milan-Como was the fifth consecutive match in which Gimenez did not score a goal. The last was on February 18, when he scored against Feyenoord at the San Siro in the return match of the playoff valid for access to the Champions League Round of 16. It is not the first time in his career that he has a similar “fast”; it had also happened in Rotterdam.
Gimenez importante per il Milan, gioco da migliorare (LaPresse) – MilanLive.it
In the 2023/2024 season, he did not score goals for five games in a row between March and April. Between January and February, however, he had gone four consecutive matches without punching a card. In the previous season, his first with the Rotterdam jersey, he had gone without a goal for as many as nine matches in a row between September and October.
Not to worry, El Bebote should not be condemned because he is not scoring for Milan right now. In addition to goals, he often lacks the very prerequisites to score them, as the play of Sergio Conceicao’s team is not particularly rewarding his characteristics as a penalty area bomber. Certainly he can do better in work outside the box, for example by conversing more effectively with teammates when he has to make backs, but in general he should be better exploited for what his talents are.
Sometimes he also plays too far back, something that was contested even when there was Alvaro Morata as Milan’s offensive reference. True, the Spaniard liked more to come outside the area to press and help the team’s play, but he was often exaggeratedly far from the goal. Gimenez liked another kind of situation and, theoretically, the club had bought him precisely to have a greater presence in the area and a center forward capable of turning chances into goals.
Conceicao needs to work on putting the right team context around Santi, net of the improvements the striker himself needs to make. He must be put in the conditions to be able to express his talent in scoring goals. For his part, commitment is never lacking, however, Milan’s game definitely needs to improve in order to trigger both Gimenez and the other offensive players more effectively. There is no lack of quality in the Rossoneri team, it needs to be better exploited. Conceicao needs to find the key.
Meanwhile, there is the national break and Santi has been summoned by Mexico. He has a long fast from scoring even in his national team’s jersey: he scored his last one on July 17, 2023 against Panama. Since then as many as 15 games without a goal. Scoring with Mexico would help the striker right now. Milan hopes to have him back in high spirits when he returns to Italy.
The article Santiago Gimenez, the fast continues: he is the victim of a big Milan problem was written and published in its original version on Milanlive.it.
